Pork loin

I mentioned in an earlier post that I enjoy cooking. Last Friday my wife complained that all we had eaten that week was beef, beef, beef. She wanted a change. Then she turned to me and said “There is pork loin in the freezer. What are you going to do with it?” That didn’t sound like a suggestion or request; I was on the hook to prepare the pork loin.

As I usually do, I googled for recipes: pork and sauce. A number of good ideas popped up. One took me to the Martinelli’s website where I found a recipe for veal with apple cider gravy. That was close enough. I let my imagination run wild for a few minutes, then created a perfect dish. (At least I thought so.)

I took the thawed pork loin and cut it into 1 1/2 inch steaks. I wrapped bacon (maple flavored, no less!) around each steak, then browned them on the stove until they were beautifully caramelized. I thinly sliced an onion, grated some fresh ginger and garlic and threw them into the pan after removing the pork. When they had cooked for a very short time, I poured in some chicken broth,  apple cider in greater quantity and some Riesling wine. I added some salt, pepper and a touch of sage to the thin gravy. Then I added some corn starch to thicken it, and allowed it to simmer to both thicken and intensify flavors. Finally, I added the pork to the gravy, and allowed the whole thing to simmer for another good while before adding a can of apple pie filling (chopped) and some plumped raisins.

After some more simmering, I tried it. I loved it. It took a while for other family members to try it. In fact my wife heard about a sale on steaks at Ralphs and wanted me to go pick some up to cook steaks tomorrow. And this after her complaining about needing a change from beef, beef, beef.